To ward off malware targeting Android-based devices, Google is rolling out its Play Protect feature, a "security system" that "actively scans your device" for unwanted adware, Trojan viruses and malicious software.

Play Protect also examines "billions of apps" per day to stop the spread of infected applications.

"We vet every app developer in Google Play and suspend those who violate our policies," the Mountain View, California-based technology company said.

Play Protect is available for devices running Google Mobile Services 11 and up.

Malware targeting Android-based smartphones continues to create problems for app developers and consumers. As of March 2016, an estimated 1.3 to 1.4 billion people actively used Android-based devices across the globe, and 352 million people purchased them during the last quarter of 2016.

As the popularity of the Google-developed operating system rises, hackers churn out new ways to steal personal or financial data, falsify ad revenue and spy on users.

In 2016, SophosLabs processed more than 8.5 million suspicious Android applications, and more than 50 percent were a form of malicious software or adware.